Summer CSA: Week 20

Canada Geese migrating through

Howdy folks,

I spent most of today hustling around the farm on various tractors with various tractor implements attached to them tilling the fields preparing them for cover crops. With lots of rain in the forecast for tomorrow and Wednesday, today was the perfect day to spread seed with the hopes that it will germinate quickly with the coming rain. We still have crops in the fields; we are taking advantage of the mild fall and additional moisture to allow root crops, like purple top turnips and storage radishes, to put on as much size as possible before we harvest them.



Bella, Bonnie, and Betsy are back on pasture for the fall

This week marks the end of the summer share. We have spent the last seven months seeding, tilling, transplanting, weeding, fertilizing, irrigating, weeding some more, and harvesting. And most importantly sharing the bounty with you each week. The CSA works because you invest in us, in this farm, and in local agriculture. We hope the experience you've had this season, being part of this special community, was meaningful in a way that a grocery store just can't match. Our work would not be possible without you. Thank you for your support. We look forward to seeing you in the spring. Or for the winter share which starts nest week!

You can keep the veggies flowing into December by signing up for a winter share. It's not too late, we still have a few left!  For more information and to sign up, follow this link: https://secure3.convio.net/ttor/site/SPageServer?pagename=PowissetFarmCSA.

Rye and vetch cover crop seed

The farm stand will also be open during winter share hours. Throughout the winter share we will continue to have delicious veggies, apples,  meats, honey and other dry goods available. I am also really excited to announce that we will have freshly baked breads from Bibi's Café and Bakery available on Saturdays during the winter share.

Winter share and farm stand schedule for November and December:

Friday, November 3 from 2-6PM, or Saturday, November 4 from 10AM-2PM
Friday, November 17 from 2-6PM, or Saturday, November 18 from 10AM-2PM
Friday December 8 from 2-6PM, or Saturday, December 9 from 10AM-2PM
(you can get your share either Friday or Saturday of each pickup weekend)

To mark and celebrate the end of the summer CSA we will be busting out the bicycle-powered cider press on Saturday. Come crush some apples, sip some cider, and celebrate with your farmers.

In the share this week:
Sweet potatoes
Potatoes
Carrots
Onions
Garlic
Lettuce
Radishes
Spicy greens mix
Spinach

PYO:
The herb garden is open. Folks are invited to pick what they will use in the hot peppers. You can still get a few sweet bites in the raspberry patch as well

Your farmers,

Zannah, Andrew, Diane, Jared, and Phil



 

Summer CSA: Week 19!

Howdy folks,

This is week 19 of the Summer CSA. This means it is the last week of the summer share for half share folks who's name starts A-L. It has been a real joy to share in the harvest with you all this season!

This week we have another guest author. Jared has been a critical member of the farm team, honing his craft, as an apprentice.


Jared preparing to load winter squash

 

 

This is an ode to the creatures behind the scenes.
First the earthworm from which all farm life springs:
nature’s squirmy tractor and great recycler.
Here comes the toad, the colossus of the kale,
throwing beetles into his slimy gullet.
The ancient snapping turtle wants nothing
from our crops. She climbs from the swamp
to field edge and warns the farmhand
to mow no further, her eggs are near.
Here comes the swarm of pests, mice
dart over winter squash and beetles suck the
life from collards and tomatoes with bendy straws.
Unprompted, the farmer’s forces counter:
the cat and hawk, the ladybug and toad.
We catch glimpses of this action in the field,
but most of it happens while we’re away.
The coyotes are out playing and yapping,
they can sneak past the electric fence or
just don’t care, a watermelon is worth the jolt.
Guardian of the Greenhouse, Simba mistakes a skunk for
his brother and gets a more than a noseful.
Lastly the honeybee, who transmutes
the earthstuff of the worm into ambrosia.
Fruits fill our kitchen with laughter and joy.
Powissett Farm is the paper on which this
great comedy is written. Sometimes we forget
that these actors share the same food as us.
We give thanks to them and they return grace.

Jared

This week I have been travelling for a dear friends wedding. I left last Wednesday and I returned late Monday evening. I was gone for just a few days but a vast amount of change can take place on the farm in such a short amount of time. I have heard through the farmer network that I missed our first frost and with temperatures dipping down in to the mid 30's tonight the fields are ripe for a good frost. That is all to say my vegetable list for this week is an educated guess of what will make it through tonight's cold weather.

Potatoes
Onions
Shallots
Sweet Potatoes
Lettuce
Spicy greens
Garlic
Beets
Radishes


2017 WINTER SHARE SIGN-UP IS OPEN!!!

Typically the winter shares include:
Onions
Shallots
Garlic
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Broccoli
Scallions
Cooking greens
Chard
Popcorn
Carrots
Cabbage
Leeks
Radishes
and more

These vegetables are distributed over the course of 3 pick-ups:

You can get your share either Friday or Saturday of each pickup weekend):
Friday, November 3 from 2-6PM, or Saturday, November 4 from 10AM-2PM
Friday, November 17 from 2-6PM, or Saturday, November 18 from 10AM-2PM
Friday December 8 from 2-6PM, or Saturday, December 9 from 10AM-2PM
 

Follow this link: https://secure3.convio.net/ttor/site/SPageServer?pagename=powissetfarmcsa to sign up online.

OR Bring payment to the farm stand: You can now register and pay for your 2017 winter share at the farm stand while you are picking up your summer share!

The farm stand will also be open during the above times!


The Trustees Winter Meat CSA is growing!

Cattle on pasture

For a second year, a full variety of sustainably-raised, grass-fed and pastured meats from Trustees farms are available from our Winter Meat CSA program. CSA shares include beef, pork, chicken, and (new this year) lamb! An add-on option for eggs is also available. The CSA runs from November through May this winter. Sign up now to reserve your share!

Winter Meat CSA pickups will include 7 lbs. of frozen meat—cuts will vary, ranging from steaks to ground beef, chops to sausage, as well as chicken. Choose the frequency that best suits your needs: every-other-week or once-a-month, beginning the week of November 7 and running through the week of May 22. Shares total either 105 pounds (every-other-week share) or 49 pounds (once-a-month share) of meat. All meat is frozen and the cuts vary each pickup with an option of adding one dozen free-range eggs. We hope provide CSA members with a chance to try some new and adventurous meals while accommodating the supper-time realities of everyday life! Pickup at Powisset Farm will be Wednesdays from 2-6.

We expect shares to sell out this winter, so don’t delay! More information is available at www.thetrustees.org/meatcsa and we’ve answered some frequently asked questions on the Meat CSA blog, http://trusteesmeat.blogspot.com/.

Your farmer,

Zannah

Powisset Happenings!

Hi All!

The Powisset blog has been very quiet on the event and program front, but we are back in action and we have lots to say!

We are in the midst of a 3 week series - a collaboration between the Dover Parks & Recreation Department & Powisset Farm. Each week is different but all weeks involve food! Last week focused on chickens & eggs. This week, we will focus on harvesting carrots. And the final week is pumpkin whoopie pies as we prepare for Halloween! To prepare for next week's whoopie pies, I made these over the weekend, based on the recipe by Renato Poliafito (see the 11/11 class below). Yum!





We have several events & programs happening this fall which can all be found here or click on the specific links below:
10/29: Powisset Farm Trail Run: whether you are a serious runner or only up for the 1-miler
11/4: The 4th Annual Tri-Town Hike. Hike the entire 13 miles (through Hale Reservation, Noanet Woodlands, Powisset Farm, and Rocky Woods) or one of the shorter sections.
11/8: Thanksgiving Pie Baking Class with Julia!: At this class, you will take home 2 sweet pies which you can save/freeze for Thanksgiving....or eat right away!
11/11: Pumpkinpalooza with Baked NYC: Join well known owner and chef of Baked (in NYC) who will lead a class focused on pumkpins. This will Renato's 2nd time at Powisset.

We hope to see you around the farm!

Summer CSA: Week 18

2017 Mobile Market Crew: Allison, Estela, Kelvin, Sadrak

Howdy Folks,

We've got really innovative and exciting programs we are cultivating at Powisset. This week our guest writer is Mobile Market Manager Allison Pekel. keep reading to learn more about the expansion of our meat CSA and winter share options!

In my 8 years as a Boston resident, I've always lived and worked in and around the city, surrounded by tall buildings and people in business suits. As much as I've enjoyed that part of my Boston life, what an absolute dream it's been to get to experience a summer at Powisset Farm! As the manager of The Trustees Mobile Farmers Market, which launched its' first season this year, I have the added benefit of getting to share some of the bounty of this gorgeous farm with the people of Dorchester and Roxbury.

The Mobile Market is a new food access venture run by The Trustees with this pilot season funded by a grant from the USDA. The project is designed to bring the same fresh, local, seasonal produce you get in your CSA shares every week, into the city where finding quality fruit and veggies can be a struggle. We try to make this produce as attainable as possible by both accepting payment from government supported programs like SNAP (Food Stamps) and WIC's Farmers Market Nutrition Program in addition to the usual cash, debit, and credit cards.

At this point you've undoubtedly seen me driving our brightly colored 16-foot Mobile Market truck up and down Powisset Street on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays on my way to and from market days. We'll be running the market until November 4th and next time you see me, feel free to swing by, say hell, and take a quick tour of the truck. We couldn't do projects like these without the support of the wonderful community  you've built up around this farm. So thank you!

For more information on the project, you can find us on Instagram @TrusteesMobile, in the new, Fall issue of Special Places or watch our CBS News broadcast! 

 
 
 

 

The Trustees Winter Meat CSA is growing!

Cattle on pasture

For a second year, a full variety of sustainably-raised, grass-fed and pastured meats from Trustees farms are available from our Winter Meat CSA program. CSA shares include beef, pork, chicken, and (new this year) lamb! An add-on option for eggs is also available. The CSA runs from November through May this winter. Sign up now to reserve your share!

Winter Meat CSA pickups will include 7 lbs. of frozen meat—cuts will vary, ranging from steaks to ground beef, chops to sausage, as well as chicken. Choose the frequency that best suits your needs: every-other-week or once-a-month, beginning the week of November 7 and running through the week of May 22. Shares total either 105 pounds (every-other-week share) or 49 pounds (once-a-month share) of meat. All meat is frozen and the cuts vary each pickup with an option of adding one dozen free-range eggs. We hope provide CSA members with a chance to try some new and adventurous meals while accommodating the supper-time realities of everyday life! Pickup at Powisset Farm will be Wednesdays from 2-6.

We expect shares to sell out this winter, so don’t delay! More information is available at www.thetrustees.org/meatcsa and we’ve answered some frequently asked questions on the Meat CSA blog, http://trusteesmeat.blogspot.com/.

In this weeks share:

Livestock manager Jesse

Pullet eggs

Spicy greens mix
Onions
Potatoes
Garlic
Scallions
Beets
Carrots
Broccoli Raab
Spinach
Winter Squash
Sweet Peppers


PYO:
Herbs
Hot Peppers
Feel free to pick cherry tomatoes, husk cherries, and tomatillos
as well. We will be turning these fields in soon to put down
cover crops.

 Your farmer,

Zannah

Summer CSA: Week 17!

Howdy folks,

Andrew mastering the
tine weeder

Where did the summer go? I can't believe that it is October already. This has absolutely been the fastest summer I have experienced as a farmer. I took my dogs for a hike to the summit of Mt. Cardigan in New Hampshire on Sunday (time and energy for such adventures is a sure sign that the season is winding down). It was the perfect New England day with a crystal clear blue sky and a hint of orange and red in the maple leaves.
With clear skies and cool temperatures we are sure to get our first frost soon. This week we will be staging row cover next to our fields of tender fall greens. Ready to pull the covers over if the temperatures dip down into the 30's. We are also continuing our sweet potato harvest. The sweet potatoes need at least 2 weeks to for the skins to toughen and the flesh to sweeten. I expect to have them in the last two weeks of the summer share as well as in the winter share.

A nest of snapping turtles
hatched this week

 2017 WINTER SHARE SIGN-UP IS OPEN!!!

 

Follow this link: https://secure3.convio.net/ttor/site/SPageServer?pagename=powissetfarmcsa

 

OR Bring payment to the farm stand!!! You can now register and pay for your 2017 winter share at the farm stand while you are picking up your summer share!!!

In the share this week:
Potatoes
Winter Squash
Onions
Garlic

I found this horned caterpillar
 in the beets

Spicy greens
Lettuce
Carrots
Peppers
Spinach

PYO:
Herbs
Hot peppers

Your Farmer,

Zannah